NOW! Living Bold – Entry 4: Torches

Darkness cannot exist in the light. A torch is of no use unless it’s lit. You’ve got to come to grips that this life ain’t about you. That’s a tough concept for Americans.

Now we start getting down to the brass tacks of purpose and focus in your life. Faith rarely works and is hardly more than skin deep because it seems so immense and complex. There is a myth being perpetuated throughout the Christian Faith that keeps you and me away from God. The sad part of the myth is that we are not convinced that it’s right or wrong… we’ve been taught to add some confounded mystery to God’s elusive love and complex “will” for our lives. I’m here to throw that myth and that mystery into the back yard… right now.

Plug in and catch this:

As a father… would you make it impossible for your child to find you and love you? I seriously doubt it (if so, you need some counseling – seriously). You know what it feels like when your children run to you, honor you, look up to you, and depend upon you. Why do we think that image… that model… that picture is different between you and God your father?

The love you have for your child is but a drop in the bucket compared to the love that God has for you.

I have sat through hundreds of sermons and lessons in church services where teachers and preachers were trying to breakdown and explain this mysterious pursuit of God’s will for our lives…. The pursuit of what God “desires” for us. I am not surprised that men like you and me run away from faith because it is way too complicated and full of too much introspective thinking and discussion. Let me dispel the myth right here. God’s will (His desire) is for you to obey His commands and care about other people enough to put them first. More simply… honor God with your daily living… and do it by taking care of others.

This my friend is where you become a torch… a light that shows your brothers how to get out of that dark hole they are living in. There is no greater sight than to see a light in the distance when you have no hope. Look back in your life… look back in history… and start finding some common traits of torch bearers. The most common is that each wasn’t afraid to accept the hand they’ve been dealt… they forget about their own junk… and help others to rise above their junk.

You’ve got to know that God calls us to be faithful no matter where we are. If you’re praying for God to deliver you out of the middle of a horrendous job… stop praying that prayer. You have to change your focus. That kind of prayer is for weak cowards who are afraid to face something. Change your mind set. Your prayer should be… “God, I’m here… show me how to be a torch”. Faith is forged stronger than steel when you gut it out through bad times. Bad times and circumstances are opportunities for you to ask God… how can I help someone who’s in here with me? When your job is done, God will move you to where you need to be. And get ready… He puts you places to shine the light… not to wallow in the dark.

Guys… it’s easy to lead when everything is going great! It sucks to be the leader when you’re knee deep in crap in your own life. It’s sad how faith is destroyed by religious leaders who teach you to pray for deliverance into a better place where you’ll be happy. Dude… that place doesn’t exist. True contentment only comes when you give yourself up. Anybody that teaches that you should pray for deliverance out of a bad situation is not your torch bearer. They may carry a torch for you, but after you’ve walked a mile in those shoes, you’ll find that you are not out of the knee deep crap… just in a different pile. That doesn’t sound very uplifting does it?

It takes guts to be out front with a torch in your hand. You don’t know what lies ahead, but you know that where you are… there is light… and for that place… you’re good. You’ve got to learn that picking up the torch is your act of faith.

Raise the torch and shine a light on what’s around you. Men who don’t have a torch will move toward you… you don’t have to go search for them. If you do nothing else… grab a torch for your family. Stand up and make the place that you are in… safe for them. God’s blessings will come to those who sacrifice for His sake.

Here’s how you can be a torch.

•(1) Learn what it means to follow God’s commands. You can do this by grabbing a few Brothers in Arms and start looking at it together. Get some resources that help point you in that direction. Contact LIVE BOLD for some good help.
•(2) Find ways to help your peers survive something that costs you something. (Oh, and if you want to throw a big bucket of water on your torch… go brag about your good deeds… shut up. God will bless you if you’ll get out of the way.)

God gets the honor… not you.

What does it mean to be blessed? How do you get blessed? How do you bless? Living Bold produces blessings in unmeasured quantities… I’ll tell you about that in the next entry.

><>

(You are reading the blog series by Live Bold. This is a living, unedited book being written in the wide open. Follow along. If you’re getting here late, go back to the archives under the LB NOW category and start reading. Each entry is numbered in sequence. Comments are welcome and some will end up in the final published book. May God’s hand be in all we do here at Live Bold.)

About

Welcome, and thanks for dragging yourself over to Live|Bold! My name is Greg Arnold and I am pumped to see you here. This interactive online community is here to point every man toward the cross. Whether you have been a follower of Christ for ages, or you are just stumbling into this strange new world of faith, we have something of value to offer you. This online e-zine is a cross between a blog, a social network, a resource center, and a pulpit. My hope is to inspire you to live your faith on the outside and be a real man for God. We need you in the fight.